Loss of Appetite in orphan mouse

Question

Pumpkin!   My baby mouse Pumpkin was about 5-6 days old when I found her outside. She opened her eyes on the 1st around am. So I estimate she's about 14-15 days old now. I've been feeding her kitten formula every two hours and I'm trying to start to wean her by putting crispbread with formula in a jar top and she shows interest, she'll go over and take some nibbles every once in awhile. I'm going to start with baby cereal today as well. However she doesn't seem interested much in her formula now. I have pedialyte added to her formula because her tail seemed a little shrunken and her belly was a little firm. It's about 60% formula and 40% pedialyte, it has softened. I can usually get her to go pee easily after a feeding but she doesn't poop much and it doesn't seem very solid. It is a yellow color though..I'm just worried about her appetite..
         -Steph

Answer
Dear Stephanie,

Oh how cute she is : ))!  Not sure if her appetite has decreased or if you expected it to increase. You did exactly the right thing to water down the pedialyte when she had ringtail and bloat. I assume that fixed both problems?

What I would do with a little mouse who didn't seem to have much appetite, is to put a bunch of things to eat and drink in her cage. The drinks you can put in little bottle caps. She is a little young to be eating solids at all, so I would concentrate on the liquids. Apple juice; unfiltered is great. Rice and soy milks. Very, very watery peanut butter (more like peanut butter flavored water). Gatorade (it is comparable to pedialyte but tastes good). Then also give her some more solid things. Pure butter. Avocado (I have never met a mouse or rat who wasn't crazy about avocado). Yummy crackers such as Triscuits. Young greens. Cheese. Bacon.

You can give her any of these things in your hand too. You can mix or substitute for the formula.

I had this question very recently and it was the watery peanut butter that did the trick.

Best of luck, and tell me how it works.

Squeaks,

Natasha